


Almost, But Not Quite, Entirely Unlike Tea

by historymiss



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-18
Updated: 2012-03-18
Packaged: 2017-11-02 03:42:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/364592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/historymiss/pseuds/historymiss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>EDI and Traynor being buddies! The Mass Effect universe reminds me of The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy more often than I’d expect, and Traynor doesn’t have enough fic (when I’m feeling brave, I’m going to boot up ME3 again and introduce her to Verity Shepard, who has been waiting for her since ME1!). Writing EDI was a complete nightmare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Almost, But Not Quite, Entirely Unlike Tea

Samantha has never felt more like a ghost than she does right now: the Citadel is bright and beautiful as she remembers, a city of glass and steel a million miles away from the destruction of Vancouver.

Furtively, she lifts her arm and sniffs- she is sure she can still smell the smoke of Earth’s atmosphere on her clothes.

“Maybe we should do this another time.” Samantha suggests, craning her neck to watch another skycar fly over.

“You said you needed to acquire a toothbrush, and we have exactly 45 minutes 23 seconds before I need to meet Jeff.”

EDI, on the other hand, looks as if she has always belonged here. That sleek robot body fits in perfectly with the surroundings, like it’s been designed for it or something which, frankly, it probably was.

“I just don’t feel quite up to shopping right now, EDI.” Samantha sighs. EDI pauses for a moment, with that middle-distance stare that Samantha has come to realise means she’s doing calculations, or extra-net searches, or just adding a question to the processing queue.

“This way.”

EDI heads off fast, almost too fast for Samantha to keep up, and leads her to a small kiosk. It’s one of the dozens of hot-food stalls around the Citadel, hardly worth noticing, and Samantha wonders why she’s here at all when EDI hands her a steaming styrofoam cup.

Samantha tastes it, grimaces, and, eventually swallows.

“Wow.” she holds the cup out and looks at it. “That is disgusting.”

EDI blinks. “It is tea, Specialist Traynor.”

Samantha snorts. “No it isn’t.”

“Analysis confirms tea leaves, milk, hot water, sugar.” EDI’s tone shifts subtly to ‘obstinate’. “That is tea.”

Another sip confirms Samantha’s own, more sophisticated analysis. It is swill.

“EDI, saying that’s tea is like comparing you to the Shepard VI.”

EDI stiffens. “It is not at all the same.”

“Why did you even give me this?” Samantha can’t bring herself to call it ‘tea’. “I hope you didn’t pay for it.”

“Records of previous conversations indicated your mood improved considerably after consumption of tea.” EDI shrugged: a jerky, mechanical movement. “I was attempting to set you at ease.”

“Well, thank you.” Samantha looks at her cup ruefully. She didn’t feel sad any more, it was true: now she felt mostly nauseous. “Look, how long have we got until Joker gets back?”

“Forty minutes fifteen seconds.”

“Okay. Sit down, EDI. I’m going to explain to you about tea.”

—-

“How’d you get EDI to deliver you hot drinks, Traynor?”

Vega points to the cup in Samantha’s hand. She tries to hide it behind her back.

“Oh, it’s just something EDI and I are working on.” she replies airily, like she’s doing nothing wrong. “It’ll be sorted soon.”

Vega shakes his head and walks away. Samantha brings the cup up, takes a sip.

It is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.

“Maybe not.”


End file.
